City Hall ignores 150 years of Santos Dumont in disregard for the memory of Foz do Iguaçu

When visiting the border, Santos Dumont was honored with a ball at the first hotel in Foz do Iguaçu, on April 26, 1916. The following day, the famous visitor left for Curitiba to meet with the state leader with only one subject on the agenda: access and infrastructure in the area around the Iguaçu Falls.

At that time, reaching the waterfalls was an adventure that lasted more than six hours, made by trekking through the forest, says Renato Rios Pruner, great-grandson of Frederico Engel, owner of the hotel and Santos Dumont's guide. Frederico was part of the entourage that went to Argentina to invite the inventor to visit this side of the Iguaçu River.

Without roads, the man who is one of those responsible for giving wings to humanity made the first part of the journey to the capital on horseback, via telegraph lines. His efforts meant guiding the public use of the rich biodiversity around the Iguaçu Falls, an area that was private and was later expropriated and converted into a park.

Upon returning from his trip across the previously inhospitable border, Santos Dumont made another contribution by promoting one of the first spontaneous media outlets in the destination. Telling the newspaper O Estado de São Paulo about his meeting with the governor, he said that the waterfalls in South America were far more beautiful than those in Niagara, which is located in the north of the continent.

The aviator came to be considered one of the godfathers of the Iguaçu National Park, a World Heritage Site and a driving force behind the economy of Iguaçu through tourism. During the national celebrations for the 150th anniversary of his birth, Santos Dumont's visit was completely ignored by the City of Foz do Iguaçu.

Recounting the inventor's presence in the city means uncovering a web of memories, characters and events. It is history. And the handling of historical facts is necessary to cement the passage of time, relate and understand eras and, above all, articulate past, present and future.

The anonymity to which the municipal government has relegated the sesquicentennial demonstrates the administration's disregard for the history of Foz do Iguaçu. There is not even a single public facility, such as a memorial house or museum. Buildings that are part of the city's heritage continue to be vandalized day after day without any protective action.

The city government missed the opportunity to connect the dots and give visibility to the human march that has been building Foz do Iguaçu since ancient times. There are testimonies, writings, objects, places, photographs and historical documents that could make up a memory project available to the community and visitors.

Recently, the administration of former mayor Reni Pereira wasted the opportunity to transform the 100 years of Foz do Iguaçu into a major program to rescue and value history, citizenship and also marketing. Chico Brasileiro repeats a similar short-sightedness by forgetting the 150 years of the “Father of Aviation”.

Those present at the Hotel Brasil for the Santos Dumont celebrations in 1916 demonstrated greater generosity than those currently occupying municipal power. Time, and only time, is the element capable of giving each person their due place in history.